My friend, Alfred Cyr, told me that the elders told him, "If you don't know how to pray, walk. Then you'll learn how to pray."

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Empty Arms by Vera C. Tourangeau

One of my students, Nathan, brought me a book to look through. His Mom used to work with Vera Tourangeau. I didn't even have to open the book; I just looked at the cover, and emotion from my imagination began to swirl and turn my stomach. What if this was my story? What if someone came today and took my children?

Sheena

Empty Arms

"Dedicated to all the Residential School Survivors...

with deepest respect and honour"

by Vera Tourangeau

Vera writes an introduction about the poem...

"One night while driving through North America, summer of 2003, I had a vision, I saw hundreds of First Nation women weeping and crying for their children. This vision made me stop the vehicle and fall to my knees as I cried as I saw children ripped from their parent's arms. I saw hundreds of children herded like cattle on backs of trucks. I saw the fear in the faces of the children. I saw the tears of the parents as they just sat there crying and weeping for their children. Children, the greatest gifts from Kitche Manitou (Creator), were taken and some never returned.

"Our country went through a great period of mourning as many of the students went through all types of abuse. Mental Abuse: you will never amount to anything, dumb, stupid savage. Sexual Abuse: the sick dirty games that were played with innocent children. Emotional Abuse: hugging, laughing and tears was not allowed. Physical Abuse: beaten and branded. The pain was so deep within the soul of North America. I cried as I looked into the grounds and saw the tears of my people. Why! Why did this happen to my people? As I realized that so many of our forefathers carried these wounds to their graves. They carried these stories buried deep within their hearts and souls.

"As I cried deeply for my people, I declared and spoke..." one day the Government will ask for forgiveness to the First peoples of this land." And so be it, on June 10, 2008, the Prime Minister, the leader of this land, on the hill of Canada, stood up and said, "The Government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the Aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly." As I sat there and cried and I saw a wound that was deep within our country's core, reopen and in time this wound will start to heal.﻿

Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to offer an apology to former students of Indian residential schools.

The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter in our history.

In the 1870s, the federal government, partly in order to meet its obligation to educate aboriginal children, began to play a role in the development and administration of these schools.

Two primary objectives of the residential schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture.

These objectives were based on the assumption aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal. Indeed, some sought, as it was infamously said, `to kill the Indian in the child.' Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country.

Most schools were operated as `joint ventures' with Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian or United churches.

The Government of Canada built an educational system in which very young children were often forcibly removed from their homes, often taken far from their communities.

Many were inadequately fed, clothed and housed. All were deprived of the care and nurturing of their parents, grandparents and communities.

First nations, Inuit and Metis languages and cultural practices were prohibited in these schools.
Tragically, some of these children died while attending residential schools and others never returned home.

The government now recognizes that the consequences of the Indian residential schools policy were profoundly negative and that this policy has had a lasting and damaging impact on aboriginal culture, heritage and language.

While some former students have spoken positively about their experiences at residential schools these stories are far overshadowed by tragic accounts of the emotional, physical and sexual abuse and neglect of helpless children and their separation from powerless families and communities.

The legacy of Indian residential schools has contributed to social problems that continue to exist in many communities today.

It has taken extraordinary courage for the thousands of survivors that have come forward to speak publicly about the abuse they suffered.

It is a testament to their resilience as individuals and to the strength of their cultures. Regrettably, many former students are not with us today and died never having received a full apology from the government of Canada.

The government recognizes that the absence of an apology has been an impediment to healing and reconciliation.

Therefore, on behalf of the government of Canada and all Canadians, I stand before you, in this chamber so central to our life as a country, to apologize to aboriginal peoples for Canada's role in the Indian residential schools system.

To the approximately 80,000 living former students, and all family members and communities, the government of Canada now recognizes that it was wrong to forcibly remove children from their homes and we apologize for having done this.

We now recognize that it was wrong to separate children from rich and vibrant cultures and traditions, that it created a void in many lives and communities, and we apologize for having done this.

We now recognize that, in separating children from their families, we undermined the ability of many to adequately parent their own children and sowed the seeds for generations to follow and we apologize for having done this.

We now recognize that, far too often, these institutions gave rise to abuse or neglect and were inadequately controlled, and we apologize for failing to protect you.

Not only did you suffer these abuses as children, but as you became parents, you were powerless to protect your own children from suffering the same experience, and for this we are sorry.

The burden of this experience has been on your shoulders for far too long. The burden is properly ours as a government, and as a country.

There is no place in Canada for the attitudes that inspired the Indian residential schools system to ever again prevail.

You have been working on recovering from this experience for a long time and in a very real sense, we are now joining you on this journey.

The government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly. We are sorry.

In moving towards healing, reconciliation and resolution of the sad legacy of Indian residential schools, implementation of the Indian residential schools settlement agreement began on September 19, 2007.

Years of work by survivors, communities, and aboriginal organizations culminated in an agreement that gives us a new beginning and an opportunity to move forward together in partnership.

A cornerstone of the settlement agreement is the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

This commission presents a unique opportunity to educate all Canadians on the Indian residential schools system.

It will be a positive step in forging a new relationship between aboriginal peoples and other Canadians, a relationship based on the knowledge of our shared history, a respect for each other and a desire to move forward together with a renewed understanding that strong families, strong communities and vibrant cultures and traditions will contribute to a stronger Canada for all of us.